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definitions

taint

1
[teynt]
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noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to become tainted; spoil.

RELATED WORDS

unsullied, pristine, angelic, angelical, chaste, clean, clear, exemplary, faultless, good, guiltless, honest, immaculate, impeccable, inculpable, irreproachable, lawful, legal, legitimate, licit

Origin of taint

1
1325–75; conflation of Middle English taynt, aphetic variant of attaint struck, attainted, past participle of attainten to attaint; late Middle English taynt hue, tint < Anglo-French teint (< Latin tinctus, equivalent to ting(ere) to dye, tinge + -tus suffix of v. action); and teinte < Late Latin tincta inked stroke, noun use of feminine of past participle of tingere
Related formsun·taint·ed, adjectiveun·taint·ing, adjective

Synonyms for taint

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR taint ON THESAURUS.COM
1. defect, spot, flaw, fault. 1, 7. blemish, stain. 6. defile, pollute, poison.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for untainted

Contemporary Examples of untainted

Historical Examples of untainted

British Dictionary definitions for untainted

untainted

adjective

not tarnished, contaminated, or pollutedhe was untainted by the scandal

taint

verb

to affect or be affected by pollution or contaminationoil has tainted the water
to tarnish (someone's reputation, etc)

noun

a defect or flawa taint on someone's reputation
a trace of contamination or infection
Derived Formstaintless, adjective

Word Origin for taint

C14: (influenced by attaint infected, from attain) from Old French teindre to dye, from Latin tingere to dye
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for untainted
adj.

1580s, in the moral sense; c.1600 in the physical sense; from un- (1) "not" + past participle of taint (v.).

taint

v.

1570s, "to corrupt, contaminate," also "to touch, tinge, imbue slightly" (1590s), from Middle English teynten "to convict, prove guilty" (late 14c.), partly from Old French ataint, past participle of ataindre "to touch upon, seize" (see attainder). Also from Anglo-French teinter "to color, dye" (early 15c.), from Old French teint (12c.), past participle of teindre "to dye, color," from Latin tingere (see tincture). Related: Tainted; tainting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper